Three Tips for Preaching Fantastic Sermons in 2014

Tip #1: Less is More. 

52 Sundays.  

That’s a lot of preaching. 

As a preacher, the question you have to ask yourself is, “How many sermons do I have in me this coming year?” 

I think the answer is different for many of us. 

I’ve often said I am beyond amazed at the people who have the ability to preach 30+ original, powerful sermons a year. It is quite a feat. As a retired preacher who preached 40+ times a year once said, “I could have preached longer if I had preached less.”   

With Preaching Rocket, one of our goals is to help you prepare for the Sundays you do preach. Along those lines, we want to help you consider what your plan is for preaching in 2014.  Today, I want to talk about a simple, helpful and foundational question.  If you think through this question and answer it correctly, it could make all the difference in your preaching this year. 

Ready? Okay, here’s the question: 

How many fantastic sermons can you preach in 2014? 

Please understand. I didn’t ask, “How many sermons are you going to preach in 2014?” 

I asked, “How many FANTASTIC sermons are you going to preach in 2014?” 

I could be wrong, but I do not think anyone is called to preach every Sunday of the year. Furthermore, I don’t think you are called to “wing it” because it’s Sunday and somebody has to say something. As Michael Lukaszewski says, “There’s a difference between having to say something and having something to say.” 

The way you ensure you have something to say is to understand how many sermons you are going to preach in the coming year. 

Be eccentric. Be faithful. Be honest.  Is it 20? 25?  34?  12?  Pray about it.  Pick a number. Then go ahead and back-fill those dates now so you won’t talk yourself into preaching because “somebody has to do it.” Go ahead an lock in a guest preacher. Ask a staff member and start working with them on their sermon. Use videos from other preachers. All of this will go a long way to ensuring you preach FANTASTIC sermons in 2014. 

Your homework assignment is simple.  Figure out the number and come back in a couple of days for the second tip in our series, Three Tips for Preaching Fantastic Sermons in 2014.